Shining Light: The Root of Evil Book I: Driven
by Writerbycandle
Summary: Long after Dark Dragon was defeated, and Max was taken down into the sea, the world has changed greatly. In Guardiana, Anri has married Arthur. But when their fight ends in multiple deaths, Anri will begin a journey to find a lost ally which may almost en
1. Prologue

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Prologue

The wooden door slammed loudly. A shrill vibration rang out through the entire building. Inside lived the secretly feuding family of Guardiana's Royalty.

"Darling, please!"

"No, Anri. I've frigging had it! This has gone on far too long! I want nothing to do with this kingdom anymore, and I hope you all perish!"

"Wh-wait! Arthur!"

"Sparketh!" A small glowing bolt of electricity shot from thin air and down to the floor.

"Uh-how dare you! You bastard! HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP!" Suddenly, the door burst open and a tall elven girl stepped in.

"Queen Anri! What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"Tao! Help! King Arthur, he's-"

"SHUT UP!" the paladin knight shouted. He turn his body towards the maid, and held his magic rod high. A swirling center of snow and ice whirled at her. Acting quickly, she held her broom up in defense.

"King Arthur! What's gotten into you?"

"Don't hesitate to attack him!" Anri screamed. While Arthur was busy attacking Tao, his wife had pulled a glass picture frame from the wall and was holding it in her hands. "Take this!" she yelled as she whipped it at the strong man. The metal edge struck his right arm, and pierced him. Blood dripped from hi new tender wound.

"My King, I-" Tao began. But she was cut off when the king thrusted his left arm at her. She stumbled backwards, and tried to regain her balance. However, as she was slipping around, the king quickly grabbed a large spear leaning against a dresser and slashed at the queen. The metal tip caught her dress and tore it in half. At the same time, her left shoulder was sliced open.

"ARTHUR!" she shrieked. He raised the spear again and held it to her chest. "Don't you-"

"Listen to me. If a word of this gets out, I'll-"

"NEVER!" Tao screamed. Coming from behind, she hopped over the small coffee table in the bedroom, and landed on the designed red carpet where the king was standing. She grabbed the end of the spear and pull it backward. However, the king yanked back, and Tao fell to the floor. "Ah...somebody...please help…" she gasped. Arthur didn't give her another chance to speak. He raised the spear high over his head, and brought it down and impaled Tao's body clutching it in both hands. Blood oozed from the still body.

"HOW DARE YOU!" screamed Anri. Her shoulder bled and hurt terribly, but she ignored her gash. She was about to lunge at the king, when an armored soldier entered the room.

"My queen! How could I let this happen to you!" He raised a sword over his head and attacked the king. The sword pierced the red robe, and moved through the skin and into the body. The king made a strange gurgling noise before falling to the ground with the sword in his body. A bloody mess was made of the floor, and no one really knew what to do. The king was dead, the queen was not, and a beaten maid was slain. She'd lived through the meeting, the marriage, and even the battle. But there was no way she could live through her bravest hour.

"A-anri. I need...to tell you … something… I must not… take my secrets… to the… grave… ugh…"

"Tao!" Anri dropped to her knees and crawled to her dying friend.

"Please…the king was on…edge…he…he'd heard that… that…someone saw…him."Anri burst into tears. Could it really be true? Had he survived?

The next day, Guardiana was thrown into madness. During the night, the queen had disappeared, and in her bedroom the dead bodies of both King Arthur and Anri's personal maid and best friend, Tao. Along with the bodies was a note from her madgesty. The note read,

Dear Mae,

Please accept my apology for the disorder and chaos I have caused. I have left my kingdom for very personal reasons, and I must ask you to take the responsibility of being Queen. I understand that now is the most difficult of all to ever lead a kingdom, but I have faith in you. You've always been there for me, and now I must ask you one final favor. Please understand that I love my people. But…I have higher duties I must attend to.

Yours Ever So Truly,

Former Queen Anri


	2. Chapter 1: Spirit Long Gone

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Chapter 1: Spirit Long Gone

"Take THAT!" A white haired woman, looking about in her twenties swung her staff menacingly at a goblin.

"Grrr!" The monster swiftly leapt into the air, and propelled itself past the traveler. She turned around to attack it again, but it swung its club violently at her side. With a bang, she fell to the ground.

"Freeze!" She gasped. Her shaky arm raised a staff high, and it began to emit a bluish glow. It then shot a beam of ice straight at the goblin, knocking it back.

"Glllrar!" The green beast regained balance and ran to the woman who was still struggling to her feet. Reaching her body, it raised its club and whacked her in the back.

"AHHH!" she screamed. "I've…got to escape…uhh…" The woman reached her hand down into a small pouch slung from her shoulder. She dug around for a few seconds. When her hand emerged, she was holding a leaf, probably from a medical herb. She then put in in her mouth and started to chew. Just then, her back was slammed with the wooden club again. "AHHH! Somebody…help!" She was about to lose consciousness when the healing plant took effect. She suddenly felt energized, and jumped to her feet in just a few seconds. No struggle at all. "I'll kill you now! Burn!" The woman raised her wooden staff and swung it at the goblin. She then raised it and chanted. Suddenly, in the sky, a cloud began to move. It then disintegrated, and a beam of hot red light shot down and crashed into the goblin, totally burning its left arm off. The goblin then fell to the ground, dead. "Ah ha ha ha! That's what you get for trying to cross me, Former Queen Anri!" She stood triumphantly and giggled a little.

"Arooooo…"

"Wha-what was that?"

"ArooOOOOOO!"

"It sounds like…no, it can't be…AH!" Suddenly, a human-sized wolf standing on two feet landed on the ground. On its hands were a set of claws, sharp as you can imagine. Dripping from one claw was blood. "Z-zylo! Is that you?"

"Arooo!" He screamed. He raised an arm and slashed at her.

"Zylo, what are you-"

"Die, you stupid bitch! Die!"

"Zylo!"

"FUCK YOU ANRI!" He stood tall, his face full of scorn an anger. "YOU FUCKING LEFT ME OUT ON THE STREETS TO ROT AWAY AND DIE! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME INTO THE CASTLE? WHY? WE FOUGHT ALONGSIDE EACHOTHER, HAND IN HAND. AND NOW, LOOK WHAT I'VE BECOME!"

"Zylo, no, I had to. There was no choice, we-"

"I told you Anri! I swore up and down, that wasn't me! I didn't do it. But you didn't believe me, you stupid bitch!" Zylo raised his claw again, and slashed at Anri. He cut the bottom of her left pant leg clean off. A fresh new wound was on her ankle.

"Ah! I…I will have no mercy!"

"And neither will I! AHHH!" Again, Zylo slashed at her. Fearing for her life, Anri held her staff up and began to chant a spell. "Ha!" Zylo's claw suddenly was felt by Anri. He'd shoved one of the blades through the side of her exposed left leg, and she was now bleeding terribly.

"AHH! HELP! SOMEBODY, SAVE ME!" The dark green grass of the plains turned crimson scarlet beneath Anri. The golden sun was beginning to set, and the sky was darkening, just like Anri's life. She knew that if she didn't think of something fast, her former comrade would be her end.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" With those words, the earth below Zylo split open, and a blue light emitted, sending him back. Rocks sputtered up, hitting both the werewolf and the girl. "Ahhh chaaa!" Again, the earth split in a jagged line coming from the voice, and to where Zylo lay on the ground. An average sized man with amazing muscles stepped from the source of the quake. He looked and saw the bleeding Anri who was sitting and clutching her ankle. "Wounds disappear!" The man put his hand out in front of him, and a golden ball of energy appeared. The ball floated over to Anri. Suddenly, the gash in her leg began to close up, and the blood was disappearing. However, she'd had enough excitement. Her eyes closed, and she passed out.


End file.
